The Red Road
by MissScaryKitty
Summary: I knew where to find who I was looking for, no inquiry needed. Rooster Cogburn lived in the back of an old Chinese market among the ducks and curry powders, never able to afford a real room. The last time we met it didn't end well. Cogburn/OC
1. Chapter 1

**The Red Road**

As I rode past the crow-pecked bodies in the field I wondered why they were there and why they deserved to be lying face down in the dirt all contorted and flesh-torn. Pinching my tired eyes shut, I stopped my horse to let my eyes adjust in the darkness. The waning moon had slipped behind the clouds putting the field in shadow.

My count stopped at five men, all of whom were riding in the same direction. I have come across dozens men in my relatively short span of life who deserved the same fate- some of whom I delivered it to myself. In my opinion, no one's a sinner for setting those types of men straight. Looking out at the edge of the tree line, I waited until the white birches came clearly into my view and then I rode calmly on, fairly certain that I would pass through the field without harm.

Twigs and frozen clods of dirt cracked beneath my horse's hooves as we followed the old Indian trail up the backside of the ridge. The cool air was tinged with strings of smoke that carried on the wind, the sweet smell alerting me to a nearby campsite. Judging by the freshness of the bodies below the ridge and the close proximity of the camp I took a guess that this was the group who dispatched my friends down in the valley. To avoid any misunderstandings I rode off of the trail, making a wide circle around the place where I figured the campsite to be.

I didn't stop that night, occasionally dosing off in my saddle. I had my horse carry on past daybreak at a slow walk. It was tiring but I did it with an eye to pass the group of riders from last night and to avoid any chance of crossing their path along the trail. It was smarter this way; I've seen riders killed for nothing more than the biscuits in their satchel much less a horse, two pistols, one rifle, and a small sack of coins.

It took me another four days to ride out of the Chawktaw Nation and cross the river into Yell County. The frost was beginning to come on heavy making it a lucky thing I made it out of the Indian territory in the time that I did. Securing a room in town was hard this time of year but it so happened that a train was pulling out that night for California, leaving some rooms open in the inn above the tack and feed store. My board was significantly lower than that of my horse's but I was too tired to argue a lower price with the bloated man at the front desk. Reaching my room, I found that the wick for the oil lamp was burnt to a charred nub so I dragged open the ratty curtains and used the lights from the street to illuminate the space. Rolling onto the lumpy bed, I closed my eyes and let sleep take me.

The morning came quickly. It felt as if my eyes opened up only a minute after my head hit the pillow. The yellow sunlight hit my face from the open window as it peeked over the tops of the roofs; the color of it's' rays were warm but the air was cold and wet. Beads of water sat on the waxed window sill even though it didn't rain last night. The tops of my sheets were cold and damp to the touch. That's when I decided that what felt good last night was not the same conclusion in the morning.

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I got a feel of my ice cold nose and cheeks. If I didn't get sick, it would be a miracle. There was nothing for it now but to shut the window and burry myself under the covers. Doing just that, I fell asleep for another hour before pushing myself downstairs and out the door.

I knew where to find who I was looking for, no inquiry needed. Rooster Cogburn lived in the back of an old Chinese market among the ducks and curry powders, never able to afford a real room. He kept a full stock of liquor on hand however, even though most of it was confiscated and not bought himself. I hoped that the morning gave him enough time to sober up. The last time I talked to him when he was in the middle of one of his binges, it did not end well.

AN: Hope you enjoyed it thus far. Let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

A chain of brass bells clanked over my head as I pushed open the door to the Chinese grocery. The potent smell of ginger and other spices washed over me as I entered. I walked in between isles and rows of crates filled with strange roots and vegetables until I reached the back of the shop where the owner was lazily wiping down the countertop. He looked up at me through his tired eyes expectantly, waiting for me to speak.

I ran a hand through my hair, my fingers catching on some tangles. "I know you may not remember me, but I need to see Marshal Cogburn."

The man's chapped lips thinned out into an odd grin as he nodded to himself.

"I remember you enough to know that Mister Cogburn will not be happy to see you. Come, he's back here."

The Chinese man led me around the counter and into the storeroom where a large, long-john-wearing lump of flesh, slept cradled in an old rope bed. I was assuming that this was the marshal. He looked like a sorry excuse. Wordlessly pointing to the older man in the bed, the Chinese grocer turned and left, leaving me alone with the marshal.

"Marshal Cogburn." I called, stepping closer to him.

My mud swathed boots made the floorboards creak beneath my steps but nothing made them groan louder than when the Marshal stirred in his bed.

"Who is it?" He asked, lazily turning over and wiping the sleep from his eyes. His gravelly voice was accentuated by his current weariness.

A smirk tugged at my lips as I looked down at him. I always preferred starting out a conversation already having the upper hand and the marshal's tiredness granted me that.

"Don't you recognize my voice?" I asked, patiently waiting for him to spot me at the foot of the bed.

Once Cogburn caught sight of my face, he was very much awake. He hadn't seen me for about two years and I'm sure he wasn't ever expecting to see me again. Regardless, it felt like it had been less time than what it really had been. He still seemed like the same old marshal and I hadn't changed much myself.

"Miss Rachel M. Burns," he greeted me, an amused grin playing at the corners of his lips. I didn't get the feeling from him that this reunion was a pleasant surprise. Luckily for him the feeling was mutual. "I should have recognized the accent… pure West Virginia."

I nodded, coming around to the side of the bed. Cogburn ran his fingers through his messy, sweat-slick hair and carefully began to sit up. I knew the wound in his side had slowed him down a bit so I didn't make a crack at his age. Even so, he looked better than some men but then that wasn't saying much at all.

I'm sure he noted my appearance as well; scuffed and dirty boots, thick two-layered dress, and unkempt hair. All of this, plus the absence of a wedding ring or a widow's frock, told him that I was still roaming the Indian territories, never having settled down and become a lady.

"I came across your handy work while crossing through the Chawktaw Nation about a week ago," I told him. I watched as he carefully swung his legs, one after the other, over the side of the bed frame. I was trying to assess his health by simply observing his movements. "You get paid good for that job?"

"Good enough," He said, looking up at me from his seated position. He knew I wanted something. If my visit alone wasn't telling enough, the course of this conversation certainly was.

I folded my arms across my chest for warmth and took a seat on a stack of crates across from him.

"Good enough to forget about goin' after Charlie Lambton and his boys?" I asked, relaxing my back against a large sack of soy beans. Now I was getting down to business.

Cogburn snorted in response to my hopeful question as he began to pull on a pair of pants he had grabbed from the sawed-off bedpost. "It's never that good. Besides we have old history Lambton and me."

I nodded, seeing that this was going to go the typical rout of all our dealings.

"You have old history with everyone Rooster." I said, leaning forward in my seat. Cogburn's eyes locked with mine then if only for the briefest of moments before he continued to get dressed. "How's about you let this one go to me and you can heal your bullet wound?"

"How'd you hear about that?" He asked, pulling on his shirt and buttoning it up.

I merely shrugged, "S'all over town… and you winced slightly when grabbing for your pants."

Cogburn got a chuckle from that. In all honesty I wouldn't have known a thing about his injury if it weren't for the Ross girl getting snake bit and her arm amputated. People tend to talk about things like that. Also a story about one man riding against five isn't something that keeps quiet either.

I tilted my head slightly, trying to imagine him riding against five men. What a sight that would have been, I thought to myself. I had seen the aftermath of the scene myself just some hours after it happened. Even though it irked me to have to admit it, that ranger and him did an impressive job. Then again one could have probably chalked the feat up to Cogburn's stubbornness… or his boldness depending on his alcohol intake.

"I'm actually surprised you survived it," I told him, watching him pull his boots on.

The marshal shrugged. "Well I'm fine now," He said standing up from the bed straight and tall to prove his claim.

I could tell it hurt him but I didn't say anything; I didn't need to be getting into an argument with him. Cogburn slipped his suspenders on and tucked his shirt into his pants. Then he began to button up and straighten everything out.

"So you're still goin' after him, injury or not?" I asked, slipping off my stack of crates and approaching him.

Cogburn grabbed up his coat and gave me a sort glance as he pulled it on.

"Yeah, I'm goin' after him."

I nodded, "Right, well that doesn't exactly put us in a good position then."

AN: Hey everyone. Glad you seem interested in my story. I hope it continues to please. Please drop a line and let me know what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"So you're still goin' after him, injury or not?" I asked, slipping off my stack of crates and approaching him.

Cogburn grabbed up his coat and gave me a short glance as he pulled it on.

"Yeah, I'm goin' after him."

I nodded, "Right, well that doesn't exactly put us in a good position then."

"What position is that?" He asked, rolling himself a cigarette and lighting up.

Smartly blowing the strings of smoke away from my direction, I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned my against a support beam, "One where we both find ourselves gunnin' for the same man."

My words took a moment for him to register then he laughed, "You're going after Lambton?"

I nodded, pushing another curl of smoke away from me with my hand. "Yes I am Marshal; don't see the humor in it."

Cogburn shook his head with a grin and took another drag of his cigarette, "Ain't no humor, just foolishness."

"I've brought in criminals before Cogburn." I reminded him. He knew damn well what I was capable of but I suppose he found some enjoyment in performing the old dance. In the end it didn't really matter, I had a rough idea where this conversation was going and it wasn't pretty.

Cogburn took his cigarette from his lips and regarded me with a serious glance, "You know no one here is going to pay a woman to do the job."

"And you know no one's going to hire an infirmed man either," I shot back.

"Infirmed?" He grunted, taken somewhat aback.

I couldn't help but get a bit of a grin out of his reaction, "Yes infirmed- a bullet wound only a week into healing counts as infirmed Marshal. You're not tracking down anyone for the next month except a doctor."

Cogburn grunted again and took another long drag of his cigarette. I could tell I had gotten him riled up now.

My words held some bite because they were the truth- he was indeed old and injured. Cogburn would be a fool to think that he could best a gang of men in the condition he was in; especially since he was planning on doing it alone.

He turned to his rope bed and reached for his wide-brimmed hat that was resting on one of the shelves above him. Putting it on, he turned back to me. His eyes brushed over my appearance and then fell on my gaze.

"Miss Burns," He sighed. "My suggestion is that you let this idea of bringing in Charlie Lambton go. You may have made a name for yourself among the Indian tribes where you were the only form of justice they could get but no white man is going to want a woman bringing in their man."

"And what choice would they have if I just showed up with him?"

Cogburn chuckled, "Well, they'd probably give you the minimum payment, if that. It's not enough to survive on without a reward attached to it."

Unfortunately Cogburn had a point. It was one that I knew all along but didn't care to give much thought to until now. Money, although a factor of definite importance, was not the main reason why I was taking on this chase. Something inside of me just wanted to go after this criminal. But to get no reward money for the job would be a fruitless venture and Cogburn knew that. Without the money, I was dead in the water. Still, that drive I felt could not be chased away so easily.

The marshal saw the wheels turning in my head.

"It isn't worth the effort." He told me, dropping the stub of his cigarette to the ground and snuffing it out with his boot. "Look, if you plan on coming back to society, my suggestion is that you get married."

Truth be told, this had almost set me off but I held back as best as I could. I tried to let my anger settle in me before answering him.

"I'm twenty nine Cogburn with no money, no land, and no family to recommend me. I've killed people without blinking an eye- you've seen that firsthand. You know what I'm capable of. No respectable man wants the kind of woman that I am for a wife. The time for marriage is long gone."

AN: Sorry I have been away. Hope all of you like this. Thank you for reading and please let me know what you think.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Cogburn put his satchel over his shoulder, now paying me no mind. My breathing had thinned out from holding in my anger. It wasn't often that I'd lose ground in a fight but Cogburn and I were good at pushing one another to the brink of a shouting match and then some. However, I would very much like to avoid one and I'm sure he would too; it didn't make for a pretty sight.

I wiped the palms of my sweaty hands against my skirt as I conveniently put myself between him and the door, "You know I'm not going to give up on this marshal. I'm going after this one no matter what you do to convince me otherwise."

"You've been chasin' down the same man your whole life." He sighed, taking the last drag of his cigarette and dropping it to the ground. "Lambton ain't him and no criminal you take in is ever gonna be."

I fixed my sharp gaze on the marshal as his pressed out the smoking butt of his cigarette with the sole of his boot. My eyes were lit with anger as I chewed over what he had just said to me. I couldn't quite believe that he'd step into this territory but he did.

"What do you mean by that?" My tone warned him of the dangers of him continuing down the road he was on.

I tried to remain in control of my temper but it was hitting a dangerous level and when it broke there was no turning back.

Cogburn regarded me with a stern look, letting me know he was not joking around anymore. "You know what I mean."

I certainly did and I wasn't going to stand for it for one moment longer.

"Listen here Cogburn; my daddy died the moment I pulled that trigger and he stayed dead. I make the path of my life, not him. Charlie Lambton is just another man in a long line of criminals I'll have put to rest. So quit this bullshit about my father and think of something else to say because what you're tryin' to do now ain't working."

There was a moment of silence were the tension hung thick on the air. I wished that I hadn't yelled but he knew not to bring up my father.

"I got nothing else." Cogburn finally spoke. "You're going to do what you're going to do- just thought I'd warn you against it first."

"I don't need a warning marshal." I told him curtly, trying my best not to let my temper resurface. Pulling my shawl around me I made my way to the door. I was done here as far as I was concerned. "I guess I'll be seeing you."

I was halfway out the door when Cogburn asked, "When are you riding out?"

"Within the week, but it doesn't really matter since you're not going."

I gave him a bit of a smirk before turning and leaving the storeroom.

AN: Yay, some back history. More will be revealed in later chapters. Hope you all like this piece. Drop me a line or two and let me know what you think.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I wandered through the town quietly, my wool shawl wrapped snugly around my shoulders. I had my pants on under my skirts for extra warmth. It had snowed last night and the wet cold only agitated my nose and throat. Despite the discomfort, I was in a peaceful mood. I was leaving for the Indian Nation in two days and there was nothing to do but rest and gather supplies for the journey to the Plains tribe. They knew me well and would welcome me to stay with them for a few days.

The icy streets were barren; the congregation gathered in the church for Sunday service. I heard the soft strings of Amazing Grace coming from the white church house. Looking at the heavy double doors, I briefly I wondered if Cogburn attended… what a notion. Still, a person's opinion of a man says very little about the man himself; I've met murderers who were God-fearing men. They said their prayers every night and went to church on Sundays somehow convinced that they'd still be saved. In life one learns that it takes all types.

I myself never attended church nor do I plan on starting. The prayers and hymns most people memorized by heart were only pretty words and sweet music to me. I wasn't above any of it; I just wasn't a part of it. To most people church was a habit and growing up as I did it never became a habit for me. Besides, I don't think these people would welcome me to pray with them anyways. They were a queer kind of folk who stuck amongst themselves. Outsiders like myself weren't welcome.

I gently kicked a few frozen clods of dirt from my path as I made my way down the main street. No one was going to open up their shops until church let out so I minded my own business for a while and took in the scenery. Cogburn was nowhere in sight and I hoped he stayed behind in his little rope bed with his whiskey bottle.

Gathering up my heavy skirts in one hand, I climbed the stairs onto the porch of the tack and feed shop, sat down on the wooden bench next to the door and waited for the owner to come from the church house. The weather was beginning to turn bitter cold but I made no complaint. Once the bell tolled, the congregation began leaving the white building. A stout white haired man who I assumed was the owner of the shop moseyed up the stairs and fished in his pocket for his keys. He glanced down at me on the bench, his eyes straying to the hems of my pant legs that were poking out from under my skirts and then entered the shop. He did this in silence and total complacency. Knowing that I wasn't going to get any sort of a welcome, I followed him inside shortly.

We negotiated on a price for some supplies and it was little surprise that the man was hard on bargaining with unfamiliar faces. I suppose he figured that he could get away with pinching out a higher price for goods with the non-locals. However I was very familiar with this territory and others beyond it so I knew the prices and the worth of things. All in all I came out on top in the deal but it was hardly worth the argument it took to get there.

My next stop was to get a drink at the bar to warm me up and quell my increasing headache. Little did I know women weren't allowed in. Still, I paid it no mind and entered. After all I was not from these parts and things were done differently in different counties. A quick explanation on my part would set the men inside straight. Later I would regret my bold as brass decision. How did the old saying go?- when you go looking for trouble, you always find it.

AN: Hope you all enjoyed, things get a bit exciting in the next chapter! PLEASE REVIEW!


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